Players cook for Bakery

The 10th anniversary celebration of the Jazz Bakery, which drew a near-capacity audience to UCLA’s Freud Playhouse Monday night, was a dramatic contrast to the venue’s fledgling performances.

Those first gigs, a decade ago in a Helms Bakery photography studio in Culver City, were music-in-the-parlor events. But the relaxed ambience, with its plastic lawn chair seating and its coffee and cake intermissions, was deceptive. Because the talent from the very beginning included the likes of Tommy Flanagan, Michel Legrand and Dave Grusin, it was immediately clear that the Jazz Bakery had the potential to become something more than a site for relaxed jam sessions.

As it did. Monday’s anniversary celebration featured a stellar lineup of performers -- pianists Marian McPartland and Kenny Barron, vibist Stefon Harris, singer Nancy Wilson and guitarist-singer Henry Johnson -- all offering their services gratis in an effort to support the continuing existence of the nonprofit venue.

And the list of artists, from the youthful Harris to octogenarian McPartland, provided a convincing display of the musical diversity that creative director Ruth Price has continually attracted to the room (now in a larger space in the Helms building).

That said, it seemed a bit strange to be at a Jazz Bakery event at the Freud (chosen for its larger capacity), and not be seated in a plastic lawn chair. Odd though they may be, the chairs, as well as the sometimes quirky acoustics and the crowded vestibule have become part of the Bakery experience -- as unique and idiosyncratic as the music itself.

But the program was fully up to the venue’s high standards. Johnson, a fine guitarist, proved to be a compelling vocalist as well. His duets with Wilson were particularly impressive, his warm-toned phrasing a pleasant contrast to Wilson’s often too-mannered stylings.

The heartbeat of the program, however, was supplied by Barron and Harris. Their stunning duet on “You Don’t Know What Love Is” was jazz at its best, a superb interlocking of two supremely talented musical improvisers.

Closing the program -- which also saluted McPartland’s highly praised National Public Radio show, “Piano Jazz” -- the 85-year-old pianist spiced an intriguing set of tunes with the wit of a raconteur. Working with bassist Bill Douglas, McPartland -- especially in her use of altered harmonies -- often reached well beyond the musical choices of her earlier years. McPartland keeps aging with style, substance and marvelous musicality. Like the Jazz Bakery itself.